February 29, 2012

I have to admit I had slight pangs of guilt buying another set of the fast-selling Dishcrawl tickets since I already went to the first dishcrawl, but then the feeling soon disappeared. I snapped them up as soon as I heard it was 124 street.

I've spent so many years home with small children, hardly ever eating out (good babysitters are hard to find and expensive!) that returning to the land of dining is a bit overwhelming as there is so many choices. Dishcrawl is a fantastic way to explore and sample the food of the many restaurants on this street, so I was overjoyed to be able to go.

We hit 4 restaurants and I would recommend all the places we went to. They were all really great and I look forward to going back. Enjoy the photos!

Also, a little photography tidbit for all you budding photographers: I shot all the above images with the inexpensive "nifty fifty" 50mm lens, which retails for $130. (I bought mine used for $80). I like it because it's light in weight and a pretty fast lens, allowing you to get to a f-stop of 1.8 which is great for low-light conditions, like dim-lit restaurants! Also, 50mm is a comfortable distance, you don't have to back up or get in too close, great when you are too lazy to get out of your seat :)

February 23, 2012

Haven't had much energy to cook and bake around here. But, went to the Italian Centre and saw these beautiful tangerines with stem and leaves still intact. I couldn't stop looking at them there and even once we brought them home I kept staring at them. Their beautiful color and smell reminds me of warm locales and summer.

My daughter tells me my favorite color is orange. I didn't think I had a favorite color but apparently I do. Though, red almost ties for first place too she points out. I have to concur. I love orange and red and you will find hits of these colors throughout my home. I often find I gravitate toward punches of orange in my summer clothing as well. So funny that others can point out something about you that is literally in front of your nose and didn't realize.

My father told me a story that one time St. Nicholas came at Christmas to their home and left an orange on his windowsill as a gift and when he awoke to see it, it was an sight to behold. I believe it. To live with very little means and then have this beautiful citrus show up for you as a gift, well, I wish we all could take joy in the simplest of things.

February 21, 2012

As is often the case around here, recipes come out of thin air due to ingredients needing attention ASAP.

Example: Brussel sprouts that have been sitting in the fridge for several days and a big old tub of cream cheese hovering near the stamped expiry date.

Everyone knows that deadlines are a good thing. Some people are more creative that way and others are able to better buckle down to get the job done. I admit, I was feeling a tad lazy so that meant I didn't want to stand over the oven having to saute my smelly socks, as I mentioned in my last post. That is why I baked instead! Threw it all in the oven and walked away.

So this my friends is what I have for you today, creamy brussel sprouts. I've seen many recipes where they use cream or sour cream instead but cream cheese, as I mentioned, needed to be put to use.

My only problem I personally had is when I came back to remove the foil from the dish, I forgot to reset the timer. Yeahhh, so I sorta overbaked them. Don't do that, ok? Nonetheless, we inhaled all the baking dish contents because it was very good. Creamy good.

February 17, 2012

I have a minor memory of trying them once as a child and thought they were putrid. Vile and smelly with a texture I never wanted to put near my lips again. The sentence "they're good for you" still echoing in the depths of my mind upon their mention. And since then, I spent all my life avoiding them and telling people my disdain for these little cabbages.

Until several months ago I saw them on the dinner table of a friend's home.

"Smelly socks! SMELLY SOCKS!" ran through my head with a vigor and the desperate need to stifle my gag reflex as I imagined what they smelled like.

My rational side told me that I had not given them a fair chance and my tastes have changed since I was a child and that I need to be open to this experience. I need not shun something I haven't tried in so long.

But my other side wanted to jump off the proverbial food bridge and die in the sea of malnutrition rather than ever stoop so low to the level of eating smelly socks.

But I did it. I tasted and enjoyed those brussel sprouts and since then, I've even bought them and tried various methods of cooking/roasting them.

February 14, 2012

I have been craving all sorts of healthy and anything green after the copious amounts of food I have eaten the last while. Went on a cruise. I started out with good intentions but anyone who has ever been on a cruise will tell you, bring your turkey pants because the game is ON.

I've been buttered, basted, roasted, and of course stuffed. I've adopted butterball as my new nickname.

Will fill you in on some of my adventures soon enough. But first, mountains of laundry. Work beckoning. And I'm coming down with a cold.